Govt’s neglect of UNZA has now got out of hand, says Nawakwi

Govt’s neglect of UNZA has now got out of hand, says Nawakwi
By Bright Mukwasa
Fri 29 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

EDITH Nawakwi says she will climb mount Kilimanjaro if that’s what it must take for her to get the MMD out of power this year.

In an interview after touring the University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East Road main campus on Wednesday, Nawakwi, who is Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president and a graduate of UNZA, said the government's neglect of the highest learning institution had now got out of hand.

“If you want to ignore your plight here then you are going to continue to live in this squalor. You need to make a decisive decision that MMD has to go out. I am telling you, I am very, very annoyed. In fact if I have to climb Kilimanjaro to make sure that they (MMD) get out of government this year, I will do,” Nawakwi said.

“Look the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) is collecting money from your parents. That money they are building facilities such as Levy Park and if you go to Levy Park 80 per cent of the tenants are South African companies, can't they use that money to build hostels here?”

Nawakwi, said the poor state of UNZA was not on account of lack of resources but misplaced priorities.

“The Minister of Education Dora Siliya who is also a girl child should have taken time to see what is happening here but she is on ZNBC television proclaiming that they have unprecedented development, if in fact the 300 high schools or so can be turned around as hostels at this university would we complain about our government? But they are so blinded about wooing the votes,” she said, adding:

“The reason they can't build hostels is that they think that you girls you don't vote. That's the only reason they can't put extra investment here. It is as it was in 1967 when the Israelis built this facility. Where you are staying is supposed to be the caretakers residence not hostels.”

She said she shuddered to think what would happen in case a disease broke out in a single room accommodating over 30 students.

“How can you have over 100 children sharing one bathroom and one toilet. Where on earth? And you have a government with a lot of money, you are even boasting that you are a middle-income country? This is complete nonsense. I can't build you a hostel, I can only support you if you support those people who are saying we can do it better,” said Nawakwi.

“If you believe that MMD is working you are going to continue to live like this forever.”

Nawakwi said UNZA was enrolling a lot of students without consideration for conditions.

“The President is very excited about being declared a low middle-income country- even in a least developed country you cannot live like this. This is worse than being in prison. Because look you girls, there are things we girls go through, where do you keep your sanitary towels, what if one of you got sick at night what would happen?” said Nawakwi.

UNZA students have complained about the dilapidated state of the institution including limited accommodation space except for the recent initiative by late president Levy Mwanawasa who mobilised the corporate sector to construct a new hostel to help remedy the situation.

About 26 female students were found living in a single room with makeshift beds.